Chap. II. Northern Coalls 
became extreme weak, and had a Fever almofl: always 
upon me. My Breath was Ihort and ofFenfive. I was 
very dry, and to quench my Thirft I often drank Water 
and Vinegar. Perceiving my Diftemper continued the 
two following Days, and conlidering that it was caufed 
partly by exceffive Cold, and partly by eating fait Meats, 
which had inflamed my pituitous Glands in fuch a Man- 
ner, that my Phlegm had infedled my other Humours, 
inftead of Oxycrate, or Water and Vinegar, I refolved 
to take fome Brandy and Syrup of Liquorifh, of which 
I drank a Spoonful every Hour. I eat no fait Filh, all 
my Food was frefh. I gargled my Mouth fometimes 
with Brandy, and fometimes with Vinegar, to ftrength- 
en my Gums, and rubbed my Teeth with MelRofat. The 
greateft Part of our Ship’s Crew was taken with the fame 
Difeafe as well as myfelf. I prefcribed the fame Remedy j 
and in fifteen Day’s Time I cured them and myfelf too. 
Our other Ship’s Crew were as much troubled with it 
as our own •, their Surgeons did whatever their Art fug- 
gefted to them, by way of bleeding and purging to cure 
them •, but thofe Remedies rather increafed than helped 
the Difeafe ; two of their Sailors died of it, and one of 
their Accountants was likely to die of it, as alfo feveral 
other Mariners, upon which I was fent for to a Con- 
Fultation. I advifed them to do as I had done, and to 
give over purging and bleeding, which are mortal in 
that Cafe. 
It was obferved, in a Very hard Winter, in France^ 
that in this Diftemper, which fome took for the Plague, 
and was occafioned by the Rigour of the Seafon, that fe^ 
veral Perfons, died immediately upon bleeding, which is 
of no Ufe in Cacochymical Diftempers. Bleeding and 
purging in fuch Cafes, are good for nothing but to weaken 
the Sight, to injure the Nerves, to confume the radical 
Moifture, to diminifli the natural Heat j and, in fhort, to 
diflodge Mens Souls from their Bodies, fooner than they 
ought to go i and to -fill the Church-yards. However, I 
would not be underftood to fpeak againft bleeding, in 
fome Diftempers it is good, as in all hot and plethoric 
Cafes, provided it is not ufed above twice or thrice. Be- 
ing once at Algiers^ feveral of our Crew were taken with 
this Difeafe, which I call the Scurvy *, their Glands were fo 
fwoln, that one would have thought that they had had 
a Piece of Flelh in their Throats. They had the fame 
Symptoms as I had on the Coafts of Zemhla , their 
Phlegm was lharp and corrofive, it affefted their other 
Flumours, and efpecially the Mafs of Blood, as the Pox 
does, which is a Species of it ; and I was forced to deal 
with my Patients as if they had really been poxed, not 
with Mercury, which by its cold, moift, and venomous 
C^ality, exafperates the Humours of the Body, and in- 
feds the Ventricles of the Brain, inftead of cleanfing 
them, caufing a Flux at the Mouth, by which, without 
Danger, one may cure the Itch, but not the Pox , the lat- 
ter being caufed by a cold, moift, venomous Humour, 
oppofite to the Nature of Mercury j and this the Mercu- 
rial ifts cannot deny. 
This Scurvy, with which fea-faring Men are fo trou- 
bled, proceeds from grofs Vapours which come from the 
bad Water they drink, the bad Bread, and the bad Vidu- 
als they eat , the melancholy, clofe, and foul Air which 
they breathe : And the Infedion of Scorbuticks is only to 
be remedied by Cordials. I could not forbear making this 
Refledion, which, as it relates to the Diftempers incident to 
fuch as go the Northern Voyage, I hope it will meet 
with a favourable Reception. 
We ftaid fixteen Days on that Part of the Coaft of 
Zembla^ where we at firft caft Anchor j where our Crews 
were all cured^ except three or four, who were on the 
mending hand. Our Mafters feeing there was a fair and 
frefh Gale, refolved to fail to Weygatz to fifh for Walrus, 
the Fifh by us called a Sea Hot'Jh, "We failed about 
fix Leagues, then cruifed up and down for the Conve- 
niency of our fifhing. We kept near Shore, and put 
out our Long-boats, and fent our Harponiers and Fifhers 
in them, eight in each, without reckoning the Rowers. 
We were three Days a fifhing, without catching any 
thing ; at laft we fpied two large Fifh approaching us ; 
one of them had a Horn in his Forehead, that was of 
^ Eu R O P E; 487 
a good Length ; bur Fifhers prepared to feize him j they 
came within a Stone’s Caft of him ; our Harponiers 
threw their Harping-Irons at him, fome on one Side, 
and fome on the other, letting Ibofe the Rop>es by which 
they were faftened, and then they got off as nimbly as 
they could, for fear of the Monfter. When Our Har- 
poniers and Fifhers faw that the Harping-Irons ftuck in 
the Fifh, they made towards our Ship’s Sides, being 
fure they had hini faft, becaufe he fwam above Water, 
which is a Sign of his W eaknefs *, they drev/ him nearer 
and nearer, by the Ropes that were faftened to the Harp- 
ing-Irons. The Monfter endured all without ftrUggling % 
he had loft fo much Blood, he had no Strength left. 
The Fifhers doing their Office, cut off his Head, 
which we kept, and flung the Body into the Sea, it 
being neither good to eat, nor for Oil. People fifh for 
the Sea-Horfe, purely for the fake of his Teeth, which 
are as good as Ivory, and fomewhat in a Pound dearer, 
being whiter than Elephants Teeth, and not fo apt to 
turn yellow as Ivory is. The Horn of the Sea-Horfe 
we took, was ten Feet long, very heavy, winding, and 
as big as a Man’s Arm near the Shoulder ; very fmall 
and fharp a-top, growing bigger and bigger down- 
wards to the Root. One of our Boats coming too clofe 
to the other Fifn, thinking to make fure ot him, the 
Monfter, as foon as he felt the Iron in his Sides, ftriick 
his Tail againft the Boat with fuch Violence, in ftrug- 
gling to free himfelf, that he over-fet the Boat ; and the 
other Boats were fo far off, that before they could get 
thither to take up the Men, two of them were drowned ; 
for whofe Deaths we were troubled, the Prize being by 
no means a Recompence to us for the Lofs. The Fiffi 
was taken and his Head cut off, as the other was. I faw 
it had no Horn, bur^ to make amends, his Teeth were 
whiter and larger than that of the former. 
We cruized up and down four Days before we fpied 
any more Fifh, wherefore it was refolved to change 
our Station. As we were preparing to depart, we faW 
four of the fame Fifh, which feemed to be bigger thari 
thofe we had caught ; To we furled our Sails, and made 
our Harponiers go out in our Long-boats, with the 
other Fellows that were employed in the Fifhery. We 
took three of them ; one efcaped us ; that which our 
Fifhers brought aboard the Ship I belonged to, had nO 
Horn ; neither had the other two any. Twelve Hours 
after v/e difeovered five Fifh more. Our Harponiers 
and Fifhermen got prefently into their Boats, to endea- 
vour to take them, efpecially one of them, which had a 
Horn in his Head. But though the Fellows did whatever 
Men could do to catch them, three of them made their 
Efcapes i among which was the horned Fifh j and the 
other two were taken, and had their Heads cut off. Two 
Hours after we fpied three more ; our Fifhers went out 
after them *, they took one, whofe Head was brought 
aboard us, and was fo big, that each of his great Teeth 
weighed twenty-nine Pounds; 
Two Days after we faw feven or eight more of thefe 
Fifh, and a horned one among them. We put out all 
our Boats, and our Fifhers were fo fortunate as to, catch 
five of them, of which one was the horned Fiffi ; it was 
onr Lot to have him % his Horn was like that of the firft 
Fifh we caught, but not fo heavy or fo large, it being 
fcarce feven Feet long. We ftaid there five Days longer, 
and feeing nothing all that while, took Advantage of 
a North- north-eaft Windj which fprung up, and failed 
towards Weygatz^ in Hopes to pafs thofe Streights. We 
kept our: Courfe pretty well for thirty-fix Leagues, but 
then we could go no farther, becaufe of the huge Pieces 
of Ice that oppofed our Paffage, and the Mountains of 
Ice covered with Snow, called Pater Nojlers^ which lie 
at the Mouth of the Mareglaciale fthe frozen Sea) and the 
great Sea of Fartary. If a Ship could pafs through thofe 
dreadful Streights, a Paffage to the Eafi-Indies would not 
be above a ^larter fo long as it is now, through the 
Atlantic Ocean. For this Reafon the Streight is called 
Weygatz, as much as to fay, in Englijh, a Place one 
cannot pafs through. 
2S. We came to an Anchor in thofe Streights, near 
i the 
